Piedmont pops
- Updated: April 29, 2023
Bulldogs bust six-run rally to take lead, eight-run rally to retake lead for good in Game 3 victory over Decatur Heritage; Gordo up next
By East Alabama Sports Today
DECATUR — After a bad inning, Piedmont summoned its best Saturday and lived to play another playoff series.
Max Hanson’s two-run single was the biggest blow as the Bulldogs reeled off an eight-run top of the seventh inning, and Piedmont beat Decatur Heritage 16-8 in Saturday’s Game 3 of their best-of-3 Class 3A second-round series.
The Bulldogs (25-8) will play host to Gordo in next week’s quarterfinal series. Game times are 5 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday, if necessary.
Piedmont coach Matt Deerman called Saturday’s Game 3 “an emotional roller coaster.”
“We were cruising and had a bad inning and a half where we gave up a big lead, but to our kids’ credit, they never gave up and continued to find a way to put pressure on them defensively,” Deerman said. “We scored eight runs in the top of the seventh with two outs.
“Proud of them! We survived and advanced. That’s what you have to do this time of year.”
Piedmont’s big rally came after Decatur Heritage scored four runs in the fifth inning and two in the sixth to tie the game 8-8.
The Piedmont seventh featured Cole Wilson’s one-out single, Cole Austin fielder’s choice, Sloan Smith’s single, Trevor Pike’s infield single to score Austin and McClane Mohon’s RBI single to score Smith.
Runners advanced on throw trying to get Smith at plate, and Hanson delivered his two-run single. Kale Austin followed Jack Hayes’ single with an RBI single.
Piedmont scored on a balk and a wild pitch before Cole Wilson delivered his second hit of the rally, an RBI single.
It wasn’t Piedmont’s only offensive eruption of the game. The Bulldogs scored six runs in the top of the fourth to take a 7-2 lead.
That rally featured Hayes’ RBI single, Austin’s RBI on fielder’s choice, Smith’s RBI single on squeeze play, Pike’s bunt single, Mohon’s run-scoring fielder’s choice, a balk to plate Smith and Hanson’s RBI single.
All 10 Piedmont players with at least one at bat had at least one hit. Smith had three, and Mohon, Hanson, Hayes, Wilson and Pike had two apiece.
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